In David Meerman Scott’s book The New Rules of PR and Marketing, he explains the  differences between the Old Rules of Marketing and the New Rules of Marketing.

The Old Rules of Marketing

  • Marketing simply meant advertising (and branding)
  • Marketing needed to appeal to the masses.
  • Advertising relied on interrupting people to get them to pay attention to a message.
  • Advertising was one-way: company-to-consumer.
  • Advertising was exclusively about selling products.
  • Advertising was based on campaigns that had a limited life.
  • Creativity was deemed the most important component of advertising.
  • It was more important for the ad agency to win advertising awards than for the client to win new customers.
  • Advertising and PR were separate disciplines run by different people with separate goals strategies and measurement criteria.

None of this is true anymore. The Web has transformed the rules and you must transform your marketing to make the most of the Web-enabled marketplace of ideas.

While we agree with Meerman-Scott that the web has transformed marketing, we know that a great advertisement is still a powerful part of a campaign.  ABCI also subscribes to the theory that aviation companies don’t typically have the mass market appeal, nor the resources invested of a Coke or Pepsi.  Traditional brand advertising is not the best use of funds or the most successful way to reach aviation decision makers.

Over the past few years of working in the aviation industry, we’ve confirmed our suspicion that a significant number of decision makers are male, mature, many have a military background,  and do not fit the typical “silicon valley” profile of an internet or social media user.  But most do use the internet (or have their staff do it) for things they want to buy.

Regardless of whether they’re reading a magazine ad or a web page, they respond to clear, concise, convincing writing.   They need good, solid information to support their decisions.

Aviation is a unique niche. It requires intelligent positioning and targeting. It requires respect for the industry and the professionals within it.

ABCI is different from traditional ad agencies, which follow the “Old Rules of Marketing.”

ABCI is also different from the new marketing firms that promise that ten thousand Twitter followers will transform your business overnight.

We find ourselves in a unique position at a unique time.  We help our clients build consistently profitable marketing systems using sound business principles as well as powerful new tools.

Want to see how we can help you?  Write to us today and request our New Client Questionnaire, if you haven’t already. We’ll send you a complete set of marketing recommendations to help you upgrade your marketing results in the aviation industry.

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